Smoke'em if ya got'em...ammo availability

[Badgersmilk]

As a rule.  Military firearms are "over gased" so they will eject more reliably.  Often results in harsh handling of empty cases.

If you DO decide to hand load.  It's pretty well agreed that Reminton brass is the bottom of the barrel junk.  Winchester brass is MUCH better, and typically the same price.  Of course there are more expensive brands, but with a semi-auto you wont be using much, or any of the brass twice.  Very few semi-auto's leave brass looking very good.  Bad dents or scrape marks from magazine lips & bottom edges of load ramps, dents from extractors, ejectors, clips and magazines cutting into cases...  The stuff usually isnt very pretty once you learn what to look for.

Reloading, or hand loading is primarily for bolt guns or single shots.  There are exceptions of course!

Any AK I've seen will throw cases 15' and more, and nearly crush brass cases all the way in!  99% of military ammo in the world is steel cased, and not reloadable anyway.  But the "over gasing" sure doesnt hurt semi-auto, or full auto reliability!

[billt]

It's pretty well agreed that Reminton brass is the bottom of the barrel junk.  Winchester brass is MUCH better, and typically the same price.

I've found just the opposite to be true. One of the main reasons I switched to Remington was I got sick and tired of having to throw out anywhere from 4 to 6 cases out of each bag of Winchester brass because they were so badly damaged from rough handling you couldn't even get an expander ball through them. 6% scrap for new brass is ridiculous. With Remington I get just as many reloads, plus I usually wind up with 2 or 3 extra pieces per bag. Remington is also far more available than Winchester. At least out here it is.  Bill T.

[Texas_Bryan]

I just like Winchesters loaded ammo, by far the best I've used.  For practice its all the same to me, for the most part as long as it shoots.  I love that sexy nickel plated brass Winchester uses for their hunting and defense ammo.

[tombogan03884]

As a rule.  Military firearms are "over gased" so they will eject more reliably.  Often results in harsh handling of empty cases.

If you DO decide to hand load.  It's pretty well agreed that Reminton brass is the bottom of the barrel junk.  Winchester brass is MUCH better, and typically the same price.  Of course there are more expensive brands, but with a semi-auto you wont be using much, or any of the brass twice.  Very few semi-auto's leave brass looking very good.  Bad dents or scrape marks from magazine lips & bottom edges of load ramps, dents from extractors, ejectors, clips and magazines cutting into cases... The stuff usually isnt very pretty once you learn what to look for.

Reloading, or hand loading is primarily for bolt guns or single shots.  There are exceptions of course!

Any AK I've seen will throw cases 15' and more, and nearly crush brass cases all the way in! 99% of military ammo in the world is steel cased, and not reloadable anyway.  But the "over gasing" sure doesnt hurt semi-auto, or full auto reliability!

The only Semi auto I ever saw that was "Rough on brass", was the G 3's fluted chamber. As for 99% of military ammo being steel, the only steel cased ammo I have ever encountered was East European/Chinese.

[billt]

No American Military Ammunition is steel. The only exception might have been during WW II. Even then if I recall we made out pennies out of steel so our ammo could be brass and copper. The eastern bloc countries use steel far more than NATO does.  Bill T.

[Sponsor]

[Texas_Bryan]

No American Military Ammunition is steel. The only exception might have been during WW II. Even then if I recall we made out pennies out of steel so our ammo could be brass and copper. The eastern bloc countries use steel far more than NATO does.  Bill T.

I believe he's implying that cheapest most widely available ammo around the whole world, not just here is steel.  Specialy for what Badger shoots, his argument makes sense, if you were humping it through burnt out Europe or Asia.  Here that's debatable.  I've never seen brass cased 7.69, but then again I've never looked, but I'd bet money that Badgers 99% is right on the money for that round.  Same for any commie round, and I'd bet that an over whelming majority of military ammo around the world is in commie calibers.  BTW, I've got some of those pennies, 1943 steel, very cool. 

[david86440]

I believe he's implying that cheapest most widely available ammo around the whole world, not just here is steel.  Specialy for what Badger shoots, his argument makes sense, if you were humping it through burnt out Europe or Asia.  Here that's debatable.  I've never seen brass cased 7.69, but then again I've never looked, but I'd bet money that Badgers 99% is right on the money for that round.  Same for any commie round, and I'd bet that an over whelming majority of military ammo around the world is in commie calibers.  BTW, I've got some of those pennies, 1943 steel, very cool.  

I do have a box of brass cased 7.62X39

[Badgersmilk]

I dont think you'll see a whole lot of American ammo being used outside this country.  I've seen a good bit of .308 in steel cases.  And the only 7.62 x 39 I personally have seen in brass is the Winchester stuff I buy to reload.  If your seeing a lot of bent up cases from handling it may well be happening after it leaves the factory.  The stuff I mail order is usually in much ruffer shape as far as dents than what I buy locally, but it just depends on the stock boys, and delivery guys I'd guess.  Where Remington brass is of lower quality would be more visible if you cut a case in half.  THEN you'll see the difference around the primer pocket, and wall thickness.  Nothing to do with ruff handleing (Dremel tools are pretty handy for a clean cut).

I cant speak for the garand type action in particular.  But I've yet to see any automatic rifle that consistantly left brass cases in good enough shape I'd trust reloading them.  Only takes one little weak spot in a case wall to ruptur and possibly do very ugly things to a very expensive gun, and rather hard to replace arm...  Just not worth risking.  And with necked cases...  I have no idea how you push out even little dents in case walls that would drasticly change chamber pressures...  It's just not worth the risk of a Kaboom at any price!

[blackwolfe]

No American Military Ammunition is steel. The only exception might have been during WW II. Even then if I recall we made out pennies out of steel so our ammo could be brass and copper. The eastern bloc countries use steel far more than NATO does.  Bill T.

I think there were some steel case .30 carbine rounds made in WWII.  Seems to me I saw some at a gun show once, but that is the only US steel case ammo I have seen.

[blackwolfe]

I dont think you'll see a whole lot of American ammo being used outside this country.  I've seen a good bit of .308 in steel cases.  And the only 7.62 x 39 I personally have seen in brass is the Winchester stuff I buy to reload.  If your seeing a lot of bent up cases from handling it may well be happening after it leaves the factory.  The stuff I mail order is usually in much ruffer shape as far as dents than what I buy locally, but it just depends on the stock boys, and delivery guys I'd guess.  Where Remington brass is of lower quality would be more visible if you cut a case in half.  THEN you'll see the difference around the primer pocket, and wall thickness.  Nothing to do with ruff handleing (Dremel tools are pretty handy for a clean cut).

I cant speak for the garand type action in particular.  But I've yet to see any automatic rifle that consistantly left brass cases in good enough shape I'd trust reloading them.  Only takes one little weak spot in a case wall to ruptur and possibly do very ugly things to a very expensive gun, and rather hard to replace arm...  Just not worth risking.  And with necked cases...  I have no idea how you push out even little dents in case walls that would drasticly change chamber pressures...  It's just not worth the risk of a Kaboom at any price!

What do you reload this for?